Entries open for Tour of Flanders sportive

Entries for We Ride Flanders, the 2027 Tour of Flanders sportive, are now open.

Held each year in Belgium the day before the Tour of Flanders race, this mega-sportive attracts thousads cycling fans to ride the same iconic cobbled roads as the pros in one of the highlights of the early cycling season.

Next year’s sportive is the 36th edition and will take place on Saturday 3 April 2027, the day before the Ronde van Vlaanderen Spring Classic.

Riders can once again choose from four distances ranging from 80km to 240km. The longest route starts in Bruges, with the three shorter distances starting and finishing in Oudenaarde.

Whichever course you choose, you’ll experience at first hand the notorious cobbled bergs before the chance to settle back with a beer or two to enjoy the race the next day.

Enter now at www.werideflanders.com.

A Sportive Classic

The Flanders cyclosportive, also known as the Ronde van Vlaanderen Cyclo, is one of the most popular in Europe. Each year up to 16,000 cyclists take to the cobbles to ride the route a day ahead of the Tour of Flanders pro race.

The start point of the Ronde rotates every four years. For the past few editions it’s been Antwerp, but in 2025 the start returned to Bruges where it will return in 2027.

However, for sportive riders only the longest 240km route starts from Bruges. Riders who choose the 160km, 130km and 80km options will start and finish in Oudenaarde, where the main action takes place on the cobbled bergs and rural roads around the town.

Prices are set in four tiers with early entries getting the best rates. Sign up early and you’ll pay €87 – the price is the same for each route this year.

The entry fee will rise to €97 and then €107 as more riders enter, so it’s worth booking as soon as possible to get the best rate.

This year sees a few extras included in the entry price: entrants will receive a We Ride Flanders windstopper by Gobik (retail value €75) and a We Ride Flanders medal, along with free coffee at the start and supplies at every checkpoint (biscuits, bananas, waffles and sports nutrition).

Accident insurance is included (riders must wear a helmet), and all riders will receive a frame plate including chip for timing and tracking during the event and a frame sticker indicating hills, cobbled sections and locations of feed stops.

For riders taking on the 240km long distance, a shuttle bus service is available from Oudenaarde to the start in Bruges. You can book this at the same time as registering your entry.

If you go to ride this event make sure you stay for the full weekend to experience the pro riders in the actual Tour of Flanders the next day. This is the race that stops Belgium: when Fabian Cancellara won in 2014, over eighty percent of the population watched his victory either live or on television!

For more details and to book your place, visit the event website at www.werideflanders.com.

Read our reports from past editions of the Tour of Flanders:

• Louise Bell rides the 2023 edition of the Ronde
• Keith Gilks’ 2016 Tour of Flanders ride report
• Oisin Sands’ 2014 Tour of Flanders ride report 
• Tips for riding the Tour of Flanders for the first time